TMP Publicity Photos - Decker's Yellow Uniform

[Jose Tyler]

Over the years I have seen several TMP publicity photos where Decker is is wearing what looks like a a canary yellow uniform. Where did this uniform come from? Was it a test uniform color that they chose not to use? Is it from a deleted scene? I have always wondered...

 

[F. King Daniel]

The Decker action figure was in yellow, too. My guess, they decided to switch him to grey right before filming started.

 

[Pauln6]

I'm glad they changed it, it looked awful. It was interesting that it had a red badge though as it tells us that Decker was an engineer.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Was it this one?

 

[Maurice]

IIRC Stephen Collins was the last main player cast, and they probably stuck him in whatever costume they had available that fit for the early publicity photos. Once they fit him for his own costumes that yellowish outfit vanishes.

 

[Pauln6]

Yeah that's probably true - he has a beige uniform with white badge on that photocard as opposed to a yellow uniform with red badge. They also did some stills with that scary grey-blue one-piece which barely shows up in the movie.

 

[Procutus]

Wow, I had forgotten all about this. I remember seeing those early publicity shots, though the first ones I came by were in b&w, obtained at a convention in March or April of '79. Then a magazine that is now defunct ran a pretty decent article on the movie, along with color pix, including, I'm certain, Decker's yellow uniform. I collected all the early stuff on the movie in a scrapbook; I'll have to see if I have easy access to it.

 

[Pauln6]

I will say that I still love the promotional shots of the full crew on the bridge. It's the ony time we've had a shot of the full historical cast of TOS together in one photo.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I will say that I still love the promotional shots of the full crew on the bridge. It's the ony time we've had a shot of the full historical cast of TOS together in one photo.

According to Koenig's "Chekov's Enterprise", the group shot with lots of uniform glitches (ie. Spock with no Vulcan collar, Decker in beige, Kirk with epaulets and sleeve rank stripes, etc) is from just before the beginning of principal photography:


TMP cast start by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

The other whole-cast shot (ie. Ilia in white robe, Decker in blue/grey, Kirk in admiral's uniform) is from the end of shooting and Robert Wise encouraged them to choose their favourite uniforms for the pic:


TMP cast end by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

The yellowish Decker jumpsuit probably wasn't that yellow in real life. IIRC, he was under a fairly harsh light in that pic.


TMP by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

Decker's yellow uniform. I collected all the early stuff on the movie in a scrapbook; I'll have to see if I have easy access to it.

Try the back of the LP soundtrack.

 

[Mr Silver]

Those uniforms were an incredibly bad idea. Lounge wear that is more uncomfortable than an actual military uniform...I wonder whose idea it was? I know that Roddenberry, in his novelisation of TMP suggested that clothes were sprayed on

 

[Maurice]

The biggest problem with the uniforms is the untucked shirt look, which more than anything contributes to them looking not "crisp". Also they work much better in two-tones a la Kirk's Admiral's uniform.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The biggest problem with the uniforms is the untucked short look, which more than anything contributes to them looking not "crisp".

Someone once posted some mid-70s(?) pics of EPCOT Centre designs and - based on research of the time - some very-TMP-type designs were suggested as being viable projections of "uniforms" needed when spending a lot of time in space. It's interesting to see the late 70s fashion influences on all the alien costumes, too. We see the remnants of flared pants, bodyshirts, etc.

And yes, the "sprayed on" effect is demonstrated with Ilia's robe and shoes in the movie. The Probe arrives naked and hot, is cooled in a sonic shower, then Kirk "dresses" her with the touch of a button. The TMP uniforms were difficult to put on, put up with and visit the bathroom, but the actors were wearing versions that used fasteners of the 20th century. 23rd century versions wouldn't have been painful.

In an early ST novel set in the period ("The Prometheus Design", IIRC), someone on the Enterprise tries to commit a murder by rigging the sonic shower to dump molten clothing goop onto the hapless showerer (Spock himself, IIRC).

 

[T'Girl]

then Kirk "dresses" her

Kirk of course chooses to dress her in a super shirt robe and five inch heels.

Apparently he couldn't find the bikini button.

 

[Pauln6]

In an early ST novel set in the period ("The Prometheus Design", IIRC), someone on the Enterprise tries to commit a murder by rigging the sonic shower to dump molten clothing goop onto the hapless showerer (Spock himself, IIRC).

I loved that novel! WIt looked like there might be a sequel. hatever happened to those mind-controlling aliens?

I'd like it if someone tried to design cooler versions of the TMP uniforms. When STO really gets its customisable options going maybe I will have a pop.

It's a shame that Persis didn't wear her proper uniform in the post-production pic. I know the bathrobe is fun but there were loads of promo shots with that (I had at least one poster as a kid). I would have liked another shot of everybody in uniform.

 

[Therin of Andor]

It's a shame that Persis didn't wear her proper uniform in the post-production pic.

She wanted to show off her best "assets", her legs.

IIRC my interview with Billy Van Zandt that they "had to remake" someone's costume, I'm wondering if Shatner had trouble fitting back into his Admiral's outfit for this final photo shoot. It's the costume he looked best in, but his scenes in that uniform were way back months and months earlier. Shatner famously used to start off productions extremely fit, then as the sitting around waiting infringed on his gym time, he'd get larger and larger.

 

[Mr Silver]

Shatner famously used to start off productions extremely fit, then as the sitting around waiting infringed on his gym time, he'd get larger and larger.

I remember reading somewhere that Shatner went on a crash diet a couple of months before filming began in order to get close to his TOS physique.

Every member of the cast had visibly aged in the 10 years between TOS and TMP. Only Leonard Nimoy and George Takei remained in similar physical shape to their TOS days, although Nimoy had aged facially and vocally. Shatner especially looked different, he no longer straightened his hair and wore a toupee.

 

[Procutus]

^

I recall reading the same thing back in early '79, that Shats had gone to great extremes to get into shape for film. As you pointed out, just about everyone in the cast had changed in the interim time, though they still looked enough like their TOS versions to be believable, IMO.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Shatner especially looked different, he no longer straightened his hair and wore a toupee.

He wore one throughout TOS, too.

 

[Marc]

Shatner especially looked different, he no longer straightened his hair and wore a toupee.

He wore one throughout TOS, too.

Iirc that was mentioned in in the book by Solow and Justman (inside star trek?) and how the toupees disappeared at the end of a season. shatner denied all knowledge but they were custom fitted so he was the only one who could wear them.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Iirc that was mentioned in in the book by Solow and Justman

Long before that, makeup artist Fred Phillips described, in an interview, how it was a bit stupid to fit a baldcap over Shatner's toupe for the final aging makeup stage in "The Deadly Years", and so Shatner whipped it off so Fred could get him ready for that scene.